A passenger on a Germany-bound flight 'invoked Sharia law' to avoid sitting next to a woman, before slapping an air stewardess who confronted him, according to police. 

The incident unfolded on a SunExpress flight from Turkey to Dusseldorf, and a police investigation is ongoing, German newspaper Bild reports. 

According to police, the suspect, a 29-year-old German national with a Turkish background, refused to sit next to a woman, citing Sharia law - the religious and moral code of Islam. 

When an aircraft employee tried to speak to the man, he then slapped the air stewardess in the face, it is claimed. 

German police were called to the aircraft after it landed at Dusseldorf Airport on June 1. The incident is now being investigated by the city's federal police. 

The suspect has confessed to the crime, Bild reports. 

Sharia law is the foundational system of religious and moral law in Islam, acting as a comprehensive guide for all aspects of a Muslim's daily life.

The incident is the latest in a series of recent onboard plane disturbances around the world.

In May a Delta plane was diverted when an unruly passenger caused a disturbance when he allegedly slapped a flight attendant over a dispute about drink service.

Cody James Maluck, 32, was arrested on May 9 after a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles was diverted to Georgia due to a possible assault, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

Meanwhile, a drunk passenger punched a police officer in the face in a brawl aboard a UK flight to Mallorca that was kicked off by a 'lovers' tiff'.

Multiple Spanish guards were forced to board the plane to remove the man last month.